mediterranean pairing

founded by george and argyri charalaboglou in 1999, the winery is now run by their three children. their daughter anthi is an agronomist and studied oenology in france, and then staged in new zealand where she met her partner matt. they returned to greece to take the lead of the winery and were joined by anthi's brother, nikos, who manages the vineyards, and her sister, christianna, who is an artist and contributes their beautiful labels. the goal at charalaboglou is to combine tradition with innovation, integrating their organic vineyards into a thriving, diverse ecosystem. the team does things 'the old way:' manual harvests, slow fermentations, and gentle handling. but they're also meticulous and methodical about understanding the science of the liquid: testing the chemistry of each wine, and considering every component. the wines reflect their origin story, teeming with exuberance, brightness, and joy. this blend of indigenous red grapes agiorgitiko and koiniariko is full of juicy red and dark fruit flavors supported by soft, elegant tannins and refreshing acidity.

led by swiss entrepreneur mladen rožanić and his daughters, roxanich focuses on ancient methods, long macerations (even for whites), indigenous yeasts, and biodynamic principles to craft rare, long-aged wines, showcasing the region's terroir through minimal intervention, resulting in wines with distinctive character and depth, an extension of rožanić's vision to capture the soul of istria. this field blend of merlot, teran, syrah, cabernet sauvignonis a vibrant red wine with spicy, earthy and dark berry fruit notes and hints of balsamic.

massimo lentsch was not born into grape farming. he had a successful export business, but wine was always a passion. he discovered lipari, the largest of the aeolian islands, north of sicily during a sailing excursion and decided immediately to establish tenuta di castellaro in 2005, and then in 2018, he created this azienda on the slopes of mount etna. his vineyards are at high elevations so they are rich in volcanic soil and he organically farms mostly by hand. massimo’s passion and dedication are palpable. he blends respect for the past with entrepreneurship to produce wonderfully terroir-driven, yet distinct wines. this 100% nerello mascalese is balanced and harmonious with red fruit, mineral and herbal tones and a savory and persistent finish